|
|
| |
|
|
Ludwig Van Beethoven
|
 |
|
|
A note of
remembrance -- Ludwig Van Beethoven.
He began to lose his hearing in his twenties. It changed his
personality, as he began to withdraw from people and society.
It, however, did not stop him from composing and conducting or
directing. When his 9th Symphony was being premiered in
Vienna, he was totally deaf. This did not deter him from
standing before the orchestra, indicating the tempo at the
beginning of each movement.
The symphony was
received with thunderous applause and there were cries of
cheers renting the air. The composer was blissfully unaware of
all these goings on and had to be told by one of the soloists
to see the ovation.
|
|
One of the
greatest composers, Ludwig van Beethoven belongs to both the
classical and romantic periods in the history of music. He was
the eldest surviving child of Johann and Maria Magdalena van
Beethoven and was born on December 16, 1770 in Bonn.
Both his father and his
grandfather were musicians and Ludwig was born into the profession.
He played the piano and the violin. When Beethoven visited Vienna in
1787, none other than the musical genius Mozart heard him play the
piano and predicted a good future for him in the field of music.
The same year, Beethoven lost his mother and his
father became an alcoholic. At 18, he sought release from the
traumatic situation by becoming the tutor to the children of the Von
Bruening family. Ludwig developed contacts with wealthy people and
the royalty. |
Ludwig Van Beethoven
|
|
| |
|
Beethoven began to lose his hearing around 1796. With each passing
year, the deafness increased and in due course, he totally lost the
faculty. This rendered him an introvert who found expression in his
music. Some of his famous compositions include the 3rd Symphony,
the 5th Symphony, the 6th Symphony and the 9th Symphony.
Despite the severe handicap, Beethoven remained optimistic and
retained his faith in moral values. These feelings dominated his
music. He was also a painstaking worker. He worked on his
compositions with care, applying himself tirelessly till he attained
the desired effect or end.
Three phases dominated Beethoven’s musical career. The first phase
was the period between the 1780s to around 1800. The second phase,
between 1800 and 1815 was the most productive, when he wrote the
symphonies from the 3rd through the 8th. However, it was in his
last phase, from 1815 to his death that his music came to be widely
recognized. It was in this period that he produced the 9th
Symphony and the moving religious composition Missa solemnis.
The compositions produced in this last phase were considered
extremely difficult to perform.
The vastness of his creations may be gauged from the fact that his
works include nine symphonies, five piano concertos, one violin
concerto, ten violin sonatas, thirty-five piano sonatas and many
other compositions. His genius came to be recognized only in the
last years of his life. His creations in the last years too were
beyond description. In fact, he is considered one of the founders of
musical romanticism.
Towards the end of the year 1826, Beethoven contacted a severe cold,
which developed into pneumonia and dropsy. He died in March of the
following year. |
|
|
|
|
|
|